


The Halloween Party

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: These Women [4]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Drama, F/M, Gen, Holidays, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 06:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5118725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“When someone new comes into your friend’s life and you know she's going to take his attention for a while, it’s not easy.  I miss you too, Counselor, but you always know where to find me.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Halloween Party

“Liv, what are you doing in there?” Trevor asked, laughing as Noah yanked on his ascot. “The party is going to be over by the time you're through.”

“I'm coming. Give me 10 more minutes.”

“You said that ten minutes ago.” He looked at Noah. “Mom is taking forever. Your costume is pretty neat though, I'm digging the Peanuts vibe.”

“He picked it out himself, mostly.” Lucy said as she came out of the kitchen. She handed Trevor a glass of Diet Coke. “We were in the store and he didn’t want to leave without it.”

“He's a handsome devil. If he were going out trick or treating tonight then his pillowcase would be filled with candy. Thanks Lucy.”

“Sure.”

It was Halloween and Noah was dressed as Linus van Pelt. He had on black shorts, a red and black striped shirt, and little brown shoes. His blue security blanket, a part of the costume, was the size of a hand towel. Noah seemed to get a kick out of slapping Trevor with it. Since it made the toddler giggle, the lawyer played along. He was dressed like Freddie from Scooby Doo, even wearing a blond wig. 

Halloween was one of Trevor’s favorite holidays. He loved the decadence of it, parties and candy and alcohol and people dressed as anyone but themselves. Just like every year before, he was going to a party. There probably hadn’t been a single Halloween since puberty that he hadn’t attended one. This year he planned to wake with no regrets on All Saint’s Day. It was good to have goals.

“I'm ready.”

Liv walked out into the living room and showed off her outfit. Trevor stood when he saw her, smiling with Noah in his arms. She spun around and his smile grew.

“You look amazing. Doesn’t mom look amazing, Noah?”

“I agree Liv.” Lucy said.

“It took me a while to make my final decision but I think I did OK.”

“Agreed.”

Liv was dressed as a Playboy Bunny. It had been some time since she was invited out and wasn’t working on Halloween so she wanted to do it up. The corset bodysuit was a bit more conservative than many Playboy costumes but she felt great. It was pink and she paired it with black silk stockings and pink high heels. Her bunny ears were also pink, sitting high atop her straight brown hair.

“Are you sure it’s not too much?” Liv asked, taking Noah from Trevor’s arms. “What do you think, little man? Is mommy too much?”

“You look fantastic.” Trevor said. He took his trench coat from the back of the chair. “Wear my coat so you can do the big reveal when you get to the party.”

“Do we know who Rafael and Sam are dressing as?” Liv asked. She gave Noah a bunch of kisses before handing him to Lucy.

“He wouldn’t tell me. He said Sam had a big idea and he was going along for the ride. This party is a big deal for her; he wants it to be a good night.”

“So do I. Lucy, we’ll be back by midnight.”

“Are you going to turn into a pumpkin or something?” Trevor asked smirking.

“Lucy has a life…she adores Noah but deserves her own time.” Liv said.

“You’ve been holding out on me, Lucy. A life after midnight? I want details.”

“Just sleep, Mr. Langan.” Lucy smiled. “Nothing more, I promise.”

“I'm going to keep my eye on you.”

Lucy laughed, telling them both to have a good night. Liv blew kisses at Noah and he waved goodbye as she and Trevor left the apartment.

“You are a shameless flirt.” Liv said, tying the trench coat closed.

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“You're also really bad at playing dumb.”

“I like Lucy, OK. I mean just regular old like but I like her. She’s nice and she does deserve to have a life outside of her job.”

“If you ask her out, I will kill you.” Liv said.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“He says as he mentally strikes asking Lucy out off of his to-do list.”

“Ask me again why we’re friends.” Trevor said.

“I like your costume, by the way.”

“It was pretty simple to put together. I really wanted to do Gilderoy Lockhart but that proved difficult. I find it insane that you can't find a decent gold cape in this town. I found the perfect suit but you can't pull off the costume without the cape. People may have just mistaken me for a charlatan.”

“Isn't that what Gilderoy is?” Liv asked.

“Well you're right about that. I'm going to find that cape though and really make it work next year. Was the bunny your first choice?”

“I was actually going to be Dorothy from _The Wizard of Oz_ ; had the logistics down almost a month ago. But I started feeling like I should do something a little more daring. I usually work tonight, or just stay home because I'm wiped out from working. I got invited to a party this year so I decided to take a chance.”

“It was a bold move. You're going to turn heads tonight.”

“I was a little afraid of that.”

“Don’t be. Enjoy yourself, and the attention, as long as it remains respectful. I know you can probably take a man down with your thumb so I'm sure that it will.” Trevor said.

Liv did want to enjoy herself, and she wanted to hang out with Rafael and Sam too. It had been a while since the friends had done anything but work together. Liv was doing the mom thing, which was so amazing for her, and Rafael was doing the relationship thing. They hadn’t gone out for drinks or an overpriced meal in over a month. She didn’t want to think about how much she missed him. 

It wasn’t fair. Her relationship hadn’t worked out but Liv was hopeful for his. Losing a friend in the process wasn’t what she wanted but they'd all find their balance soon. She knew Sam loved the idea of them being a foursome, even if Liv and Trevor weren't romantic at all. With the Noah adoption and other things he and Liv were getting closer though. 

It wasn’t meant to be more than that but she enjoyed his company. Trevor couldn’t replace Rafael. Liv wasn’t going to rock the boat tonight, this was Sam’s night, but maybe she would say something soon. She missed her friend.

***

“Oh my god, oh my god, you look so terrific.” Sam smiled as she gave Liv a big hug. “Rafael, doesn’t she look terrific?”

“Liv you look…” he cleared his throat and pointed at his girlfriend. “What she said.”

“Ignore him, it’s just fabulous. Turn around, show me the tail.”

“She can wiggle it.” Trevor said, smiling.

“Wiggle it!” Sam exclaimed. “That’s fabulous!”

“Sam, I have to say that you look gorgeous tonight.” Trevor said.

“I told her a million times.” Rafael finally got his sense and rejoined the conversation. “She won't listen to me.”

“I won't even scare you with the amount of Spanx it takes to pull off something like this.” Sam said.

“I know what you mean.” Olivia laughed. I think I have room for two crab puffs and maybe a glass of champagne.”

“Well the champagne is flowing so feel free. I can't believe what a turn out it is tonight. I hope some people brought wallets in those costumes.”

Sam and Girls First were having their second annual Hotel Halloween. Last year they raised almost $100,000, which was a very big deal. This year they wanted to raise more. As the host, Sam decided to dress as Morticia Addams. Rafael was Gomez and he looked handsome, though slightly uncomfortable.

“He hates schmoozing.” Sam whispered to Liv. “He's good at it but doesn’t like it. I'm going to let him off the hook tonight; he's already been such a sport. Did you dress Noah this year?”

“I have pictures.” Liv took her phone from her little satchel purse and showed them off.

“I see what you mean.” Trevor whispered to Rafael as they watched the two women.

“Do you see what I mean?”

“I just said I see what you mean.”

“How do women do that?” Rafael asked.

“What did you expect, a catfight? Pudding wrestling perhaps?”

“Of course not.” He shook his head. “I don't know, they just bonded so quickly and I don’t even know where I fit into all that.”

“You don’t.” Trevor said.

“What do you mean?”

“Just because you're the friend and the boyfriend doesn’t mean you fit in at all. They haven’t invited you over yet…they don’t need you to have a good time together.”

“I think that makes me uncomfortable.” Rafael said.

“You think?” Trevor bumped his shoulder.

“No, I know that it does. Go and mingle. I'm sure there are so many people willing to go home with you tonight.”

“I've made a Halloween resolution to remain chaste for the holiday from this day forward.”

“Halloween doesn’t have resolutions.” Rafael said.

“Now you tell me.” Trevor looked around, surveyed the land. There were surely plenty of men and women dressed in some very provocative outfits. This was probably why Halloween was his favorite holiday. Wonder Woman at the bar, a gorgeous black women who had to be at least 6’2” in heeled boots caught his eye. “I think I need another drink.”

“Mmm hmm. Be careful, Wonder Woman could surely beat Freddie to a pulp.”

“It’s a bit too early to introduce my kinks into all of this, don’t you think.”

“Dammit…”

“Aha, there it is.” Trevor pointed at him. “The elusive Barba smile. It’s nice to know I still have the power to bring it to the surface.”

“Go and have fun.” Rafael gently pushed him away.

“You too. Happy Halloween.”

***

“My feet are killing me.” Liv said as Rafael walked up to the table where she was sitting. “Six guys asked me to dance and I actually said yes. It’s the music. I am loving the music.” She sipped her fuzzy navel. “I'm also just a little tipsy but don’t tell anyone.”

“I brought you something to eat.” He sat down beside her. “I wasn’t sure if that one crab puff thing earlier was a joke but there’s little crab cakes, two stuffed shrimp, and some steak fries.”

“Thanks.” Liv smiled. “I love your costume…you and Sam look great.”

“You do too. I never expected…I was shocked when you walked in. It’s not often I find myself speechless. Nice job, Sergeant.”

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to do it, you know, show off this much skin in public. I'm glad I made the decision. I'm actually having a great time.”

“Good.” Rafael nodded. “I saw you out there on the dance floor; you're pretty good.”

“I do OK. The music is great, the food and the spirits are fantastic. Sam knows how to throw a party.”

“She's hopeful they're going to do better this year than last. None of this was free…the budget is insane.”

“I bet. Girls First is trying to do great things though. I know how hard she works to make it seem as if she doesn’t work so hard. She even mentioned that in the next five years they wanted to branch out to scholarships and helping women break into everything from film to STEM.”

“She definitely has vision.” Rafael smiled. “It’s nice to see you two get along so well.”

“I don’t have a lot of friends who aren’t cops. It’s refreshing to be with someone and not have to talk about work all the time. She’s even given me some nice mom tips.” Liv ate a crab puff and smiled. “Oh these are delicious.”

“I'm glad you like them.”

“Are you OK, Barba? Your face doesn’t look right.”

“My face doesn’t look right?” Rafael raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Maybe it’s the lighting in here.” Liv took gentle hold of his chin, turning his face to the left and then the right. “No, something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong. I'm just tired and…I miss you. I don’t know if that’s fair or unfair, I just know it’s true. I sometimes feel like I lost you to Sam and I know you don’t even see her much but I don’t like it.”

“You don’t want us to be friends?”

“That’s not what I meant, Liv. I don’t want to be a petulant child about it; it’s probably stupid.”

“Hey,” she took his hand. “It’s not stupid, don’t think like that. I was a little jealous when I first met her. I can't believe I'm saying it but it’s true. When someone new comes into your friend’s life and you know she's going to take his attention for a while, it’s not easy. I miss you too, Counselor, but you always know where to find me.”

“Yeah, I do. Can I see those pictures of Noah? Sam thought they were the most adorable thing in the world.”

“Of course.” Liv smiled as she grabbed her phone from her bag. She tapped it a few times and then handed it to Rafael. “He picked the costume out himself. Lucy said he saw it and just had to have it.”

“Oh wow, he does look adorable. The blanket is a nice touch.”

“It came with the costume. I'm excited for the day when I can take him trick or treating. This year the daycare had a party and I took so many pictures. Here,” she scrolled past a few. “This one is my favorite. Look at that smile.”

“I still can't believe that you're a mom.” Rafael laughed a bit. “I mean that in the best way, I do. Just look at him.”

“I know. He is my favorite person in the world. You should swing by and see him soon. He misses your face as much as I do I think.”

“Liv…”

“Hey Liv.” Sam walked over to where they were sitting. “Do you want to come outside with me? A few folks have commandeered the balcony as an illegal smoking spot. I've got cloves in my bag.”

“Sure.” Liv smiled and stood.

“I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I? I just came bursting into the conversation, I'm sorry; carry on.”

“You're not interrupting.” Rafael shook his head. “I brought Liv some food…she burned a lot of calories on the dance floor.”

“I saw that, I'm so glad you're having fun. C'mon, we’ll be back in just a little bit Rafael.”

“Of course.”

Rafael smiled and watched them go. They were talking and laughing, enjoying themselves. He lost Trevor some time ago, first to Wonder Woman and then Hannibal Lecter. The attorney was working the room. He'd get himself another drink and then mingle a bit. 

Rafael could be charming and personable; this was a party. He didn’t need Sam with him to have a good time. There were people that he knew there and he could chat with them as well. It was time to get back out there, no one wanted to be the wallflower at a party like this.

000

“I sincerely hope I’m not a bad influence.” Sam said, lighting her clove and then Olivia’s.

“You're allowed to be on Halloween. This party is really great, Sam.”

“I don’t want to take all the credit. My staff has been amazing; they invited some real movers and shakers tonight. The checks are coming in and it’s going to be so wonderful for Girls First. This is year 3, we’re supposed to turn a profit. That was in our business plan at least.”

“What were you doing before this?”

“I was in PR and marketing for years. After I had Jo I got really ill and had to leave my job. Then as I was finally getting back on my feet, Peter left me. I had two small kids and wasn’t finding it easy to get back into my field after being gone almost two years. So I decided to take a big gamble. It’s still a gamble.”

“That was brave.” Olivia said.

“My mother calls it insane but I'm going to go with your version.” Sam laughed. “I've got something good here. It’s built on my sweat, hard work, and I can show it to my daughters with pride. Let's just hope it doesn’t lead to the poor house. Now, can I break a rule and ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Does Rafael seem off to you? I tried to bring it up but I didn’t know how, with him I mean.”

“I know work has been busy but we haven’t spent a lot of time together outside of that so I don’t know. I asked him tonight if he was OK and he said yes.”

“One word answers usually mean he doesn’t want to talk about it.” Sam said. “I know the Munoz trial is coming up and that has definitely been on his mind. I can't believe the DA is making him handle the prosecution. I can't believe the judge won't make him recuse himself on a conflict of interest.”

“Unfortunately being childhood friends with someone isn't seen as a conflict of interest by the state of New York.” Liv said.

“He's losing sleep over it, poor thing. And I don’t know how to comfort him.”

“Just be there. Being there is the most important thing.”

“Thanks Liv.” Sam smiled. “I appreciate you listening. When we get back inside I'm going to see if I can help him have a better time. I know parties aren’t easy when you're down in the dumps but they are parties after all.”

“I haven’t been to one in the longest,” Liv said. “So I'm making sure it’s memorable.”

“Yes! Viva la Halloween!”

“Viva la Halloween!” Liv threw her arm up in the air.

***

“Do you know how well you did tonight?” Rafael asked.

He was sitting at the island in Sam’s kitchen while she made coffee. It was after midnight and coffee probably wasn’t the best idea but he was craving it so she decided a cup might be nice. The party was over and it had been a success. Success in terms of fun didn’t always mean success in terms of money.

“No, but I'm sure I will by Monday. I have good people working over the weekend with all the accounting. Someone from the New York Post grabbed me for a blurb as well as Manhattan Magazine. I'm sure it will be on a lot of blogs this weekend too. I think we’re going to be happy with the results. I don’t know if this can be an annual thing though, I'm sure my hair was falling out in preparation.”

“You work too hard.” He said.

“Hey Pot, don’t bother Kettle while she's making your coffee.”

“I hear you.” Rafael smiled.

He was still in full costume but Sam had quickly undressed and put on a bathrobe. Her long black wig was gone and she was a redhead once more, pushing stray strands behind her ear as she sang to herself over the coffee maker. She took regular and flavored creamer from the fridge before joining Rafael at the counter with two hot mugs.

“I was glad to see you started having more fun as the evening went on.” She said. “I know you’ve had a lot on your mind lately and may not have even been in the mood for a party. Thanks for hanging in there with me.”

“It was an important night for you so it was important for me too.” He said.

“I appreciate that.” Sam smiled.

“I mean it, Hoffman. I actually love to watch you work. It did take me a little while to warm up tonight…I hope that wasn’t a drain on you.”

“Not so much. I do need to talk to you about something though.” She added caramel creamer and a couple of spoonfuls of sugar to her coffee. That wasn’t the ideal choice if she wanted to sleep tonight but Sam didn’t really care at the moment.

“What's up?”

“I think we should stop seeing each other, Rafael.”

“What?”

“It’s not going to work. I would love for it to work but…I don’t think you're here with me.”

“Sam…”

“Let me finish.” She held up her hand. “You're a good catch. I think you're handsome and smart, you're funny and have a great personality. But you are never going to let me in. I know that we talked about you struggling with that and I get it. Sometimes I think that’s it me that you don’t want to open up to and not an overall issue.”

“It’s not you.” Rafael shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hurting me would be to stay and fake your way through this. Something has been off for maybe a month or so. I thought it was the Munoz trial, it may be. But if you can't open up to me, communicate, I'm going to start to think it’s me. You're unhappy and I don’t want to be with you if you're unhappy.”

“It’s not you that makes me unhappy. I need you to understand that.”

“Can you tell me what it is?” Sam asked. “I'm a big girl, I think I can handle it.”

“I'm not sure I'm ready to jump into a family situation.” Rafael replied. “I know it’s causing me to hold back some but that’s not your fault because you can't change it. You shouldn’t have to change, Sam, you're a great mom.”

“Yeah, that’s not easy. I don’t want us to lie to each other and say we’ll keep in touch but you always seem to run into exes in this town so…”

“You will never have anything but my caring and respect.” He said. “Saying it’s not you, it’s me is so cliché but I think it applies this time.”

“Saying there’s someone out there just for you is too.” Sam said. “But that’s the truth I think.”

“Should I go?” he asked.

“Finish your coffee, Rafi. Unless you want to run out of here as fast as you can, letting freedom ring up and down my street.”

“On a night like tonight no one would find that strange.” Rafael managed a smile.

“I really liked you.” Sam said rolling her eyes. “For a little while I thought I could love you. It’s silly to pretend that I'm not hurt but this is the right thing to do. We’ve been standing in the same spot for a couple of months now and there's nowhere else to go.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I believe you. You're not the bad guy, Rafael, you're just the wrong guy. I had a lot of fun with you. I don’t regret doing this but I probably should’ve been honest with myself sooner. I didn’t want to stop having fun even though I already had. It’s not just about me though…it takes two to be in a relationship.”

Rafael nodded, not knowing what else to say. This was something he didn’t expect tonight, or ever really. How long did he think he would continue in this? Would they have gotten married, bought a house in The Hamptons, gone to parties with the Bloombergs? He liked Sam but he didn’t love her. 

She wasn’t the one and he'd known that longer ago than he would ever admit to anyone. They did have a good time together but it was much better as a casual thing. Maybe he should’ve been honest about that when he felt it sliding into ‘something more’. Rafael didn’t want to be the bad guy. He could be the bad guy in the courtroom all day long but he didn’t want to hurt Sam. She was wonderful and he enjoyed being with her. 

He didn’t want to be that guy that she would talk shit about in her spinning class, who strung her along over nine months for nothing. They hadn’t made each other any promises in the beginning or the end. That wasn’t a comfort since he didn’t have the guts to do what she just did. Rafael wanted to tell her that she was brave. He was afraid of a coffee mug to the skull. The last thing she needed after doing something that must’ve hurt like hell was his condescension.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, Rafael and Sam both looked at it. The room was so quiet that it rang more like church bells. He took it out and saw there was a text message.

‘ _Resolutions be damned, I guess. His name was Luke and we’re having coffee on Sunday. His ass was like the statue of David…a true work of art. The streak continues_.’ –Trevor 

“Who is it?” Sam asked.

“Trevor. He got lucky tonight at your party.”

“I've never seen anyone work a room like that.” She managed a smile. “Women, men; his game was high level, no holds barred. He should teach a master class.”

“Do not give him any ideas.” Rafael put the phone back in his pocket. He drank a little more coffee, finished nearly half of it, and it was time to go. “I should probably head home.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

“No, I'm good. Do you mind if we have a hug?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Sam said. “C'mere.” She kissed his cheek and then wiped away her lipstick. “Get home safely, Rafael. I’ll see you out there in the big, bad world.”

Rafael nodded and walked out of the kitchen. He knew that Sam would close and lock up behind him so he didn’t look back as he walked through the lower half of her brownstone and out onto the street. It was after 1 a.m., Halloween night, so the streets were still full of happy partiers in costume. Two cop cars drove by slow to make sure there was nothing they needed to get involved in. Rafael started walking, taking his cell phone from his pocket. It was probably a better idea to pay more attention to what was going on around him in the street but the white noise in his head was driving him crazy. So he quickly moved his fingers through his contacts, found the name, and ran his finger over it.

“Hey Rafi, you alright?”

“Did I wake you?”

“No. I got stuck watching _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ , 78. No one would go to sleep instead of watching Veronica Cartwright slowly lose her mind. Where are you?”

“Can I come over?”

“You're not with Sam?” Trevor asked.

“No.”

“Yeah, you can come over.”

“I'm sorry to do this but…”

“Do what? You need me, I'm here, and it’s absolutely fine. Is it something else and I've got it all wrong?”

“We’ll talk when I get there. I'm about to hail a cab.”

“See you in a little while.”

Rafael hung up the phone and walked down a block or two. There was more traffic near Madison Avenue so there was little doubt a cab would come along. It took less than 10 minutes, even though the first empty one passed him by. Rafael gave Trevor’s address and then sat back in the seat. 

The phone was in his hand. He was almost desperate to make another phone call but it was too late and that wasn’t fair. So he opened his texts. The last text she sent him was from a few days ago, a picture of Noah taking a nap in his Harvard long sleeved tee shirt. Rafael smiled and quickly typed out a message.

 _‘I wish we would’ve had more time to talk this evening but I'm glad you had a good time. Perhaps if you're free on Sunday we can have brunch and chat then_.’ –Barba

He was surprised when his phone vibrated and there was a message from Liv. She was still awake. He wondered if she was hanging out in pajamas watching _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ as well.

‘ _I'm actually having brunch with Sam on Sunday, I’m going to take Noah with me. If all hell doesn’t break loose we should do dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday. It’s never a good idea to make Monday plans. You OK_?’ –Liv

‘ _I'm good. Sleep tight Olivia Benson and I will see you soon_.’ –Barba

‘ _Goodnight Counselor_.’ –Olivia

Rafael put his phone on silent before putting it back in his pocket. Turning his phone down or off was something he never really liked to do but it was the best thing right now. He didn’t want to think about all that happened in the last nine months, but needed to. Rafael wasn’t going to be absolved because Sam had the balls to do what he couldn’t. There was a lot of blame to go around and he felt that most of it fell on him. The best thing to do was to take the responsibility, internalize it, and learn from it. He wasn’t sure how often that really worked but Rafael was going to try.

Trevor opened the door to his apartment, standing there shirtless in basketball shorts and no shoes. Without a second thought, Rafael walked right into his waiting arms. Trevor sighed, kissing the top of his head.

“Are we drinking or going straight to bed?” he asked, already knowing without explanation what had happened tonight. The logistics weren't clear to him but Rafael and Sam’s relationship was over. Something had been amiss all night. The parties involved pretended all was well so Trevor did too.

“Bed.” Rafael mumbled, his face still in Trevor’s chest. He inhaled the scent of Acqua di Gio. Why did this man always smell so damn good?

“Do you want to talk about it?” he stroked Rafael’s hair.

“Can we just forget that we’re friends for a few hours?”

“As long as we’re still friends in the morning.” Trevor replied.

Rafael nodded, looking up and giving him a kiss. They went to the bedroom with their arms around each other. This probably wasn’t the healthiest behavior for either of them but they were usually very good separating the game from the truth. And since they were mostly sober that was an excuse that wouldn’t come into the later conversation. Rafael was a weakness for Trevor anyway. 

Maybe one of these days he would be in a more stable, monogamous situation and something like this couldn’t happen. But right now, tonight, someone he loved very deeply was hurting and that hurt him. So Trevor would help Rafael feel better and then tomorrow get him to open up. It was a plan that worked plenty of times before. The streak continued.

***


End file.
